


Open Wounds

by L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n



Series: Marvel Hero Academia [20]
Category: Captain Britain and MI: 13, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Making Plans, Minor Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Overarching plot, REALLY MINOR, Villains can't stay dead, they almost make first base
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:50:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n/pseuds/L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n
Summary: In which Yagi Toshinori finds out that Monsters don't like to stay dead.
Relationships: Gran Torino & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Peter Parker & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, minor Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori | All Might - Relationship
Series: Marvel Hero Academia [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686835
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Open Wounds

Open Wounds

**Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi**

/+/+/+/+/

'Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can! Spins a web any size, catches thieves just li—'

Toshinori awoke with a start, blindly reaching for his ringing phone. He checked the time, groaning upon realizing it was a little after midnight. He then woke up upon seeing that Peter was calling him; of all his friends, he was always the most conscious of time zones. He must've found out something about the Nomu.

He cleared his throat, answering the call. "Hello?"

"Are you alone?" Peter said, voice grave.

Toshinori pushed aside any snide remarks, saying, "Yes. What is it?"

"I've found out what makes the Nomu click—in fact, it's so obvious that I'm certain whoever's working on it over there has figured it out only to dismiss it because they didn't think it was possible." His friend took a short breath, "Toshi…this thing has _multiple_ active Quirk genes."

Toshinori's blood ran cold, the scar spanning his chest starting to ache. No…no, it couldn't be.

"Quirk gene manipulation's practically impossible, Toshi. I've only ever heard of _one_ man capable of it.

"No, no!" Toshinori shot up, trying not to hyperventilate. "That's impossible! He died, I _killed_ him!"

"It would appear," Peter said sadly, it a touch stern, "that you didn't."

Toshinori wanted to argue, wanted to rage. But…he couldn't. Not with Peter. Hell, he practically broke the law _because_ he was one of a handful of people he trusted above all others. So, if he was…if he was saying that the impossible had come to pass, then the impossible had come to pass.

Toshinori fell back on his bed, "…W-What am I supposed to do?! I barely beat him last time!"

"If it's any consolation, he's probably worse off than you. You eviscerated him from the torso up, right?" The Japanese Hero grunted an affirmative. It was one of the last things he saw before blacking out—the macabre sight of his powers applied to their full, deadly capacity was a source of comfort and terror for him while he was in recovery. "Then he can't be up to much. But we've got to act fast! Because the Nomu…it was made by in part by the Jackal."

"Miles Warren?!" Toshinori exclaimed. He then paled, "My god…cloning…if All for One were to clone himself…if he could duplicate his abilities…"

"Yeah, it's bad." Peter agreed. "Listen, I'm going to work the Jackal angle on my end—Warren's been laying low these past few years, but if he's been traipsing over to Japan _someone's_ got to know about it."

Toshinori nodded, "I'll…I'll talk with Gran in the morning. And Nezu later on." And the Midoriyas, Inko and Izuku…what would he say to them? Should he say anything to them? He sighed, returning his attention to the phone call, "Peter I…I can't really find it in myself to say, 'thank you'."

"I get it," his friend commiserated. "Hey…David already knows, do you want me to tell Brian?"

"By all means," he quickly replied. The more people he could talk to about this, the better. Hell, given Brian's status as a government backed Hero, he might be able to weasel a way for him to come and help. It'd be great to have someone he truly trusted at his back.

"Alright. Listen, I'm going to find a way to give Nezu my notes but let me tell you what you should look for in terms of cloning facilities…"

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori expected Gran to rage upon being told the news. Expected to have to defend Peter's assertions of All for One's survival. Perhaps the Gran of his youth would have done so. But now…now his old mentor just stared down at his hands, never looking so old.

"…I should have known," the retired Hero finally said. "I should have checked on the body. But you," Gran looked up, and Toshinori could see tears in his eyes (he'd only ever seen the man cry once before, when they left Nana to die), "you were so hurt! I…I thought you were going to die! And I pushed everything else aside!" He slammed his fists against his chair, rattling it.

Toshinori kept silent, merely nodding. He was thankful for Gran for being at his bedside the entire time he was injured, but he understood his frustration. He'd taken it at face value that the body was destroyed too, after all. He'd just let the man work it out.

He didn't wait long. Gran clenched his fists, looking back up at Toshinori with a fire that was never quite dead, despite his retired state. "What's the plan?"

Toshinori sat straighter, clearing his throat. "Peter's going to focus on finding the Jackal. All for One will be our _only_ concern."

"As he should be," Gran nodded.

"For that matter, Peter's told me some things to look out for when searching for All for One."

Gran leaned forward, "Oh? What did he say?"

"Cloning facilities take up a lot of power," the Hero replied. "Comparable to every room in an apartment complex blasting the AC for a week straight. The facility itself would have to be large—as large as U.A.'s main campus. Also—and Peter said that this is Jackal's personal preference—the facility would most likely be near a water source."

"To dispose of any…waste," Gran concluded. Toshinori pulled a face, butt nodded. Gran hummed, "All for One would have covered his tracks…Alright, I'll make some calls, see if there's any discrepancies with building permits and electricity bills on waterfronts."

"That'll take some time. Japan's a big country."

"We found him in Shinjuku last time," Gran grunted. "Considering the state you left him in, I doubt he'd go far. To say nothing of the fact that he'll want to be nearby so he can kill you as soon as he's ready." A dreary thought, but it would probably hold true for the sadistic monster. Then, a thought.

Toshinori snapped his fingers, "We should probably look into the people that said they disposed of the body."

"Right. At best, they were duped. But at worst…" he trailed off into a wordless growl. Toshinori let him calm down (even if the thought of someone purposefully helping that Monster made his own blood boil). Gran shook his head, and then asked, "Who else do you plan on telling about this?"

"In Japan?" A nod. "Nezu," Toshinori immediately replied. "He already knows about One for All, it's about time he knew the full truth of its history."

"Good, good," Gran nodded, rubbing his chin, "he's the smartest person in the country, it'll be good to get his perspective on things. Anyone else?"

Toshinori thought on his unfortunately short list of trusted Japanese allies. "Perhaps Detective Tsukauchi. Even if we can't begin an official investigation just yet, he can more easily look through police records for something we might have missed or ignored over the years."

Gran nodded, before pursing his lips. "…What about Mirai?"

Toshinori's mood dropped, face morphing into a thunderous frown, "I want people I _trust_ on this, Gran."

His mentor nodded, "Good. I'd probably deck the punk anyway." Toshinori smirked, but it quickly faded upon recalling the last two people in Japan he trusted.

"Gran," he said miserably, "what should I tell Izuku and Inko?" He gulped, "I…I promised them that All for One wasn't a problem anymore. That there wasn't any risk to Izuku's well-being beyond the standard dangers Heroes face."

His mentor grew silent, eyes narrowed. Finally, he said, "I don't know."

Toshinori's shoulders slumped, "I was expecting something a little more helpful, Gran."

"I honestly don't," the man shrugged, "The only people I've ever grown close to were other Heroes—and it's not like All for One was my secret to share."

That was fair. Toshinori thought of his other mentor, and her secrets. "Nana gave up her son because All for One killed her husband, right?"

"No," Gran leaned forward, "All for One never touched her family—her husband died from a completely unrelated Villain attack. He wasn't even the main target, just an unfortunate casualty." The elderly Hero sighed, looking down at his hands, "But Nana…it shook her to her core. So much so that she decided that giving her son up to foster care was the best way forward."

"…Did she ever tell you about him?" The one time he'd asked, she just started crying, and Toshinori never brought him up again.

"No," Gran shook his head, "I'd been to visit once or twice before she gave him up, but afterwards she made me swear to never seek him out. No matter the circumstance." His mentor closed his eyes, sinking into his seat, "And I kept that promise, and I'll keep it till the day I day."

Toshinori nodded, but he couldn't help but think of Peter and his family (Brian was also married with a child, but his wife had powers, Peter's didn't). He knew that Peter would _never_ give up Mayday for anything, even the death of his wife. He pursed his lips, "Do you think she made a mistake, giving him up?"

Gran was silent once more. When he answered, he seemed to age another ten years. "I don't know, Toshinori. I really don't." He rubbed his eyes, regaining his fire, "But the past is the past. We need to focus on the present and our future. And Izuku, at least, needs to know about All for One. He's going to accept my internship offer, no matter what." Toshinori had to agree. He didn't like taking Izuku's choice away, but they didn't have much of one anyhow. "I didn't plan on holding back on his training, but now I need to push him beyond his limits."

"And what about Inko?"

His mentor shrugged. "We can swear the boy to secrecy, but I'll leave it up to you whether or not you tell her."

Toshinori nodded. "I…I can't ask Izuku to lie to his mother."

"Well then, there's your answer."

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori tried not to fidget as he stood outside the Midoriya's door. After standing there for an indecisive minute, he forced himself to knock on the door.

Inko opened a minute later. "Toshinori!" she said, eyes widening in that adorable way they always did when she was met with a surprise. "What are you—you just missed Izuku. He said he was going to go for a run on Dagobah Beach."

Toshinori nodded, "That's fine. I actually came to see you."

Inko blushed, turning to the side and playing with the fringe of her hair. "I wish you'd have called. Give me time to get ready," she mumbled.

Despite the grim reality, Toshinori couldn't help but blush as well. They'd certainly grown close over the last year or so. But as much as he'd have liked to indulge that line of thought, he couldn't. Hell, after today, she might never want to see him again (an unnecessarily cynical thought. Inko was a saint, she'd forgive him. Eventually).

Something must have shown in his face, because Inko peered up at him, saying, "Toshinori, is everything alright?"

He licked his lips, "Can we…Can we take a seat?" Inko nodded, stepping aside and letting him through. He sat down at his designated chair in the Midoriya home as Inko made them some tea. He accepted the offered cup, but barely took three sips before his wriggling stomach forced him to stop.

Now Inko was looking scared (and Toshinori cursed himself for putting such an expression on her face). He set the teacup down with a shaky hand. He licked his lips, opening and closing his mouth several times. Eventually, she placed a hand on his arm, looking up at him with a soft smile.

That bolstered his dismal confidence. He straightened in his seat, taking a deep breath. "Do you remember, back when we first met, I told you about someone called All for One?"

Inko scrunched her face, before it slackened, her face paling. "The…the man that almost killed you." At his nod, she gulped, "Y-You said that he probably had allies. Allies that would want to hurt you—hurt Izuku." Toshinori had to suppress the urge to smile wanly—she didn't even spare a thought for herself, caring only for her son's safety. "So…that means…" she trailed off. "That creature that attacked U.A., it's related to those allies?"

The Hero sighed, "I'm afraid that its worse than that. All for One," he gulped down his anxiety, "…he's still alive."

Inko grew white as a sheet. "W-What?" she choked.

"I was wrong. I didn't kill him." He bowed his head, "I'm sorry! I was a fool. I was complacent and I've dragged you and Izuku into this!" He never wanted this to happen. He would have loved if Izuku could have just become his own Hero, with his own problems. Not be dragged into a century long conflict that should have been over five years ago.

"Toshinori," he flinched at her quivering voice. God, he'd doomed her along with her son.

"Toshinori!" she repeated, sterner. "Look at me." He hesitantly did so. She was still a little pale, and her hands were trembling in her lap. But her mouth was set in thin line, eyes blazing with a steady fire. "How…How are you going to fix this? How are you going to keep Izuku safe?"

He relaxed a bit, internally thanking Inko for putting him back on track. "I plan on quitting my teaching position at U.A."

She sucked in a breath, "Izuku will be crushed—his classes with you are his favorite."

He managed a smile, "They're my favorite too. But no matter how much I like teaching him, I can't let anything distract me from trying to find All for One." He clasped his hands over his lap, "That's another thing. Has Izuku told you anything about the week-long internships?" Inko shook her head. "Well, following the Sports Festival the students that did well get offers for internships."

"You plan on taking him on yourself? For safety?"

Toshinori smiled, "Unfortunately, accepting him as an intern would only paint a bigger target on his back—and my agency doesn't accept students anyway. No, he's going to be interning under a Hero known as Gran Torino."

"I've never heard of him."

"I'm not surprised," he nodded. "He's retired now, and back when he was active, he mainly focused on the Yakuza. And he's one of the few people that knows the truth of All for One and One for All. He's going to train Izuku to better protect himself."

Inko narrowed her eyes, "You trust this man?"

"With my life," the Hero replied without a shred of hesitation.

Inko managed a smile, "Well, that's good enough for me." She narrowed her eyes once more, "And when you find…All for One…what are you going to do?"

Once again, Toshinori did not have to think about his answer. "I'm going to kill him," he said with as much certainty as one would say the sky was blue. "I will not allow him to haunt Izuku's life as he has mine."

Inko nodded, a hesitant smile on her face, "Well…thanks, I suppose. But I want you to promise me something." He nodded. "Don't die in the process." His eyes widened, and Inko's smile grew softer, "I know, it's probably an impossible request. Who knows what might happen? But…Izuku loves you, you know? You've become like a father to him, something he hasn't had for years." She looked down a blush on her face, "You've become a permanent fixture in our lives. If you were to…were to die…I don't think he could take it." She added, with a whisper, "I don't know if _I_ could take it."

Tears in his eyes, heart jumping up to his throat, Toshinori reached out, taking her hand in his own. "I…I can't promise that I won't die." Inko nodded, squeezing his hand. "But…But I can say that, last time, when I fought All for One, my thoughts were of avenging Nana more than anything else. And I…I didn't really care if I died in the process. Now, though," he smiled at her, small streams of tears falling down both their faces, "now I've got people to live for."

Inko's blush returned with a vengeance, but she held his gaze. His heart was hammering in his chest in a way he'd only felt a handful of times before—and for the first time, he truly regretted that it probably wouldn't—couldn't—go anywhere. But that didn't stop his eyes from drifting down to her lips, noting how soft they looked. Nor did he miss the way they parted slightly, curling into a smile.

Inko's eyes fluttered, and she leaned forward. Toshinori bent down, closing the distance.

_Slam_

"I'm back!" The pair jerked back, the moment gone, heavy blushes on their faces as they wiped away their tears. "Let me just take a bath and—oh!" Izuku paused, a smile on his face. "Toshinori! What're you doing here?"

And just like that, Toshinori remembered why he was there. His lips curled into a frown—an act that wiped the smile off of Izuku's face. "I have something I need to discuss with you. But please," he held up a hand when Izuku made to sit down, "clean yourself up. It can wait until you're refreshed." Izuku's nodded, looking between Toshinori and Inko for a second, before continuing on his way.

Toshinori leaned back in his seat, the reality of their current situation hitting him full force. But the sheepish smile Inko sent his way reminded him of what he was fighting for. Reminded him of what he had to lose.

/+/+/+/+/

**A/N: Deeper in AU territory we go! Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


End file.
